E.L.F. Cosmetics

I love finding a bargain, and this is a good one. I found this cosmetic line at a recent trip to Target and tried three different products: e.l.f. Studio Complexion Perfection face powder, Studio Blush, and Studio Lengthening & Volumizing Mascara.

The face powder was a quad-colored pressed powder with yellow, green, blue, and pink hues designed to even out your complexion. I’ve always been attracted to these when I’ve seen them, but I’ve always been a bit dubious about them: would they really even out my complexion or would it just look like my face was smeared with sidewalk chalk?

I’m happy to say it was the former. However, you definitely need a larger, round brush to blend it well. (They didn’t carry this item in the store where I bought the products, but they do sell them online.) I don’t like the feel of liquid foundation, and found that this powder provided enough coverage without heaviness.

The blush was also a good buy.

The mascara, however, was a bust. It was very light and non-clumpy and at first I liked the way it went on. But after a minute or two I realized that it wasn’t drying, and had smeared onto my upper eye lids. When I tried to use a Q-Tip to remove the smears, it smeared under my eyes. Before long, I was a hot mess. I had to wash all of my eye makeup off and start over: a cardinal sin as far as make-up is concerned.

However, the bargain price meant I could toss it out without feeling too much buyer’s remorse. Each item was a mere $3. Checking their website, I see they have a much more extensive line than what I saw in the store, with most of it winning great reviews from customers. Even their mineral line, though more expensive than the Studio products, is  a fraction of what other lines charge. I will definitely try some of their other products.